Does your family eat and run? Do they watch TV rather than talk? Family meals bring members together. Why not discuss, listen, and laugh while you eat? Inside you'll find 3 dilemmas to spice up your family meals.

3 Rules for Discussing Dilemmas at Meal Time:

Make sure the dilemmas are fun

Members must tell what they truly think

Each person has a chance to contribute

Begin by using these dilemmas:

What magical power would you like for one day and how would you use it?

If a rich kid wanted to buy your parents, how much would you sell them for and why?

If you could be famous for something, what would it be? Why?

The more members have fun at family meals, the more they'll make the effort to be there. They'll learn to use their imagination, speak up, and listen too. Remember -

"Building character starts with getting your kids to talk."

Presenting your children with dilemmas is a fun and easy way to find out how they think and influence their character too.

If you'd like ready-made dilemmas to ask your kids, pick up my Dilemma Discussion Kit. It offers you easy directions and 51 dilemmas you can start using today. Have fun while you find out how your kids think. Your kids will love expressing themselves.

How do you influence your child's character? Please leave a suggestion, question, or comment at Jean Tracy's Email or click on Comments below.

Social dilemmas help your kids decide what to do before they happen. You create the discussions for the dilemmas. All it takes is a little creativity. I recommend using little tickets with social dilemmas. Place them in a box. Each person in the family picks a dilemma to discuss. When you discuss your ticket, your children will listen. Of course, you'll listen to your children's wisdom too. This is such an easy way to teach your values and build character.

3 Rules for Discussing Dilemmas:

No interrupting.

No put-downs.

Everyone listens to the speaker.

When the speaker is finished sharing his solution to the dilemma, the rest of the family can offer their ideas too. Guess what? These discussions will influence your children's character when faced with similar real-life dilemmas.

Here are 3 dilemmas that prepare your children:

What would make you try harder in school: pleasing your parents, your teacher, or yourself? Why?

If you were blamed for something your friend did, would you tell on him? Why?

If your friend invited lots of kids to her birthday party but not you, what would you do? Why?

Presenting your kids with dilemmas is a fun and easy way to find out how they think. If you'd like ready-made dilemmas to ask your kids, pick up my Dilemma Discussion Kit. It offers you easy directions and 51 dilemmas you can start using today. Find out how your kids think. Have fun with your kids by having fun with the dilemmas.

How do you influence your child's character? Please leave a suggestion, question, or comment at Jean Tracy's Email or click on Comments below.

Hold Family Meetings and make school dilemmas easy to discuss. During the problem solving section of the meeting help your children discuss school dilemmas. Find out how your kids think. Without lecturing share your ideas too. Let's pretend your children are having the school difficulties below.

Here are 3 school dilemmas you could use:

If your teacher asked for a special conference with your parents, what do you think they'd discuss about you? Would you like to hear what they say? Why?

Which would you rather have a fun teacher who taught poorly or a strict teacher who taught well? Why?

If the girls or boys in your class teased you and wouldn't play with you, what would you do?

These questions don't have to be about real problems your children are having at school. But they could lead your children to discuss the real problems they are having. Your family discussions help your children decide what to do.

Presenting your kids with dilemmas is a fun and easy way to find out how they think. If you want ready-made dilemmas to ask your kids, pick up my Dilemma Discussion Kit. It offers you easy directions and 51 dilemmas to start using today. Have fun with your kids by having fun with the dilemmas. Why? Because building character starts with getting your kids to talk.

How do you influence your child's character? Please leave a suggestion, question, or comment at Jean Tracy's Email or click on Comments below.

You can influence your child's character when you get her to talk. Recently, my husband and I took our 12-year–old granddaughter on vacation. It took a few hours by car and could have been boring for her if it wasn't for the dilemmas we asked each other. Paula was eager to share her wisdom. She didn't pause to make sure she told us what we wanted to hear. She spoke easily. Of course, we answered dilemmas honestly too. Here are 3 dilemmas you might want to discuss when traveling:

If you found someone's lunch money on a table in the school library and no one saw you pick it up, what would you do? Why?

Have you ever done anything on a dare? If so, what was the scariest dare you've ever done?

If your sister did something wrong and you were mad at her, would you tell your parents to get her in trouble? Why?

Presenting your kids with dilemmas is a fun and easy way to find out how they think. If you'd like ready-made dilemmas to ask your kids, pick up my Dilemma Discussion Kit. It offers you easy directions and 51 dilemmas you can start using today. Find out how your kids think. Have fun using dilemmas.

How do you influence your child's character? Please leave a suggestion, question, or comment at my Email or click on Comments below.